


Beautiful

by Namjoonsdimple



Category: GOT7
Genre: Alternate Universe - After College/University, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Rock Band, F/M, Strangers to Lovers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-07
Updated: 2019-06-07
Packaged: 2020-04-12 07:21:23
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,644
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19127278
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Namjoonsdimple/pseuds/Namjoonsdimple
Summary: Mark is a strong believer that you never meet someone by chance. When you come to his rescue one night, your continuous encounters cause him to believe that your friendship is fate. But when few and fleeting moments are what drives him to desire something more.* Fluffy Fluffy Fluffy, with a dash of smut but with flowers and fluffy bunnies uwu





	Beautiful

 

 

  * **-Inspired by the song[Beautiful by Bazzi](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uk1hv6h7O1Y)**



  


 

* * *

 

“Son of a bitch,” Mark cursed hitting his steering wheel.

The rain only came down harder as he glared at the open road, letting out a string of not-so-friendly cuss words. After ramming his fist against the horn a few times out of aggravation, he finally pulled himself together enough to call Jaebum.

“Mark where are you, the show starts in an hour!” Mark flinched from the loud sounds of people cheering and Jaebum shouting into the speaker. From the sound of it, the band playing before them was reaching its last leg of songs.

“My car broke down just now,” Mark groaned. “I think the battery might be done for.”

“What! Hold on, send me your location and I’ll send my shop friend to come to save you. Sit tight!” He replied quickly. When the tone sounded, Mark let his arm drop and quickly sent him the address of the nearest street sign.

“Who’s gonna come out during this weather?” He muttered pushing his bleached blonde hair back. After a while of staring forward at the dimly lit street, he honked his horn one more time before reclining his seat and closing his eyes. He pouted with his arms crossed like a child and let the sound of the rain lull him to sleep.

After a while, there was a sudden knock on his window that startled him awake. “What the f-” He jumped but swallowed his curse when he noticed you leaning against his car door. What swell of anger he had vanished in thin air when he laid his eyes on you. Everything from your hair to your clothes was drenched in water, but you still had a bubbly smile on your face.

Quickly Mark opened the door. “Um, are you Jaebum’s friend?” He asked sizing you up. You were dressed in grey shop clothes that were now soaked black from the rain. Your hands were still greased up and there was a streak of oil slowly being washed away on your cheek and dripping off your chin.

“Yeah, he called saying a friend of his was broken down. You’re part of his band right?” You asked with a pearly white smile that seemed to glow under the moonlight. “It’s nice to meet you,” you stuck your hand out for him to shake, but upon seeing the oil on your hand you retracted it and rubbed it on your clothes. You cocked your head curiously when you noticed his dumbfounded expression. “What’s wrong, something on my face?” You asked touching your forehead. Besides the obvious, it wasn’t the oil on your face that had him shaken up. It’s not every day a pretty girl knocks on his window. Needless to say, it was a shocker. Especially when he was expecting some macho dude to come to his rescue, not an angel in a jumpsuit. Not that he was complaining.

“No- I mean  _yeah_. Nevermind, here let me-” Mark fumbled with the switch to pop the hood of his car. You didn’t waste any time hurrying over in your heavy boots to check out your engine. While you were looking checking out his car, Mark reached into his backseat to pull out an umbrella and hurried to your side. As if he were afraid he was dreaming, he watched you closely as you inspected the engine. “So uh- what’s the problem?” He tried to look like he knew what was going on, but he didn’t have a clue. Cars were always Jaebum’s thing, and Mark’s expertise was on the technical side. But moments like these are what made him think that auto repair would have been a far more useful skill.

You closed a nozzle and wiped your hands on your jumpsuit, “Nothing serious, I just need to jumpstart your car. I saw it on your dash while you were sleeping but I wanted to make sure that nothing else was wrong,” You reported. You wiped your hands on your pants, scratching your chin in thought.

“Is that safe to do in the rain?” He asked nervously.

You shrugged, “Probably...Maybe.” You chewed your pink lip, “Yes.”

Mark narrowed his eyes at you, tilting the umbrella over to follow you to your car, “What do you mean maybe? Shouldn’t you know this stuff?”

“To be fair, I’ve never had to jump someone in the rain before. It should be fine though, I don’t think the voltage is strong enough to do any real damage,” you replied confidently as you pulled out the long jumper cables from your backseat and shoving them in his arms. “At least that's what my physics teacher told me once, you’re getting wet by the way.” You adjusted his hand so his umbrella was over him instead of you. A steady stream of water was already dripping down the back of his sweatshirt, he didn’t even notice the rain dampening his clothes until you pointed it out. Obviously distracted by you as if you would vanish in thin air.

“Uhm-” he choked up. He really hoped you didn’t notice, but how could you not when he was looking at you so doe-eyed.

“You might wanna move out of the way,” you smirked from your driver's seat, “Unless you want to get run over.” Mark hopped out of the way of so you could drive up next to his car. When you hopped back out, he had to chase after you to keep up. You took the cables from his hands and clipped them on effortlessly. He watched as you stood back to make sure everything was good before patting you on the back. “Okay, go ahead and try to start your engine!” The rain was coming down now hard enough to drown out your voice. Mark obeyed and turned the key until his car sputtered to life.

“It worked!” He shouted through the sound of water hitting the road.

You gave a thumbs up, closing the hood. He watched as you came up to his car door, wiping the water from your face and effectively smearing more grease on your slick skin. “You should be good for about thirty minutes, I’ll take your car to the shop after okay?”

“Thanks, you literally saved my ass. Can I pay you or-”

“Don’t worry about it, Break a leg!” You winked before darting off to get in your own car.

 

 

 

The entire set he couldn’t shake you out of his head, “Hey, who was that girl by the way?” He asked Jaebum when the show was over.

Jaebum closed the case for his bass shooting him a teasing smile. “Why do you ask?”

“Well for the one you never brought up the fact that your shop buddy was a woman.” To be fair, whenever he talked about work all the friends he’s mentioned had nicknames. There was no way Mark would have known. He just assumed that they were all hulking giants like Jaebum.

“Shame on you for assuming women can’t work on cars,” Jaebum nudged him playfully. “She’s cute though huh?” Cute was an understatement. A severe one at that. But he knew what he was doing, he must have asked her on purpose. Every since Mark broke up with his ex, Jaebum’s been determined to match him with someone else to get him out of his funk. This last relationship threw him for a loop, and Mark could tell the others were getting fed up with him being such a shut-in. Mark had decidedly chosen to stay away from dating for a while, and other people for that matter besides his annoying friends that would kill him before they’d let him ignore them. But he had to admit that Jaebum might have struck gold this time.

Mark let his feet dangle over the edge of the stage, a small smile pulling at the corners of his lips, “Does she have a name?”

“(Y/N). She’s studying mechanical engineering at our school.”

“Ah, so she’s one of the smart ones huh?”

“Yep, don’t worry Mark. I’m sure you’ll still have a chance even though your IQ is below average.” Jaebum jumped out of the way fast enough to avoid Mark’s swing, giggling like a madman.

“Hey, computer science is fucking hard you ass. You build cars for a living.”

“Yeah that’s why the ladies love me,” Jaebum pulled his sleeve up to flex his arms playfully. Mark frowned before shoving him, “Your biceps are bigger than your brains,” he jabbed back. “That's why girls like you.”

“Hey, guys!” You came skipped into the empty concert hall. Your wet hair bounced as you leaped onto the stage with your arms open wide to give Jaebum a hug. The only difference from your appearance early was the change in position of your clothes. The top of your jumpsuit was unbuttoned and tied around your waist revealing the black tank top that clung to your skin.

“You couldn’t get a change of dry clothes?” Jaebum sighed and reluctantly let you jump into his arms. Mark laughed to himself as he watched Jaebum cringe from the contact of your cold wet clothing against him, “Okay get off me.”

You giggled as you bounced away, kneeling down next to Mark with the same childlike attitude, slapping him on the back. Even though the two of you barely knew each other, you made him feel like he was an old friend. “I already took your car to the shop, your battery just needs to be charged overnight. You can have Jaebum take you to pick it up sometime tomorrow.” Knowing Jaebum, his idea of a best friend discount was charging extra. Mark flinched, “Uh, how much is this going to cost?”

“It’s in the house. A friend of a friend is a friend of mine,” You smiled.

“Ah fuck no, charge him more for making you work in the rain,” Jaebum scoffed. Mark threw him a glare, but instead, it was you this time to smack his shin.

“I’m not mean like you JB,” you retorted.

Jaebum shrugged nodding his head in an agreement. “Thanks for helping out (Y/N),” Jaebum patted your back. “You're a lifesaver.”

You shook your head at him with a knowing smile before wiping your hands on your pants. “I know. I’ll catch you guys later, have a good night!” You chirped and quickly disappeared as quickly as you came.

 

 

 

“No offense, your car is shit,” Jaebum said as he led Mark into the shop. If he weren’t so distracted trying to watch out for you he probably would have insulted him back, but he was far too preoccupied. He was slightly disappointed when they reached his navy blue truck hooked up to a machine. Jaebum rolled up the sleeves of his jumpsuit to take off the cables, finally noticing Mark’s head scanning the room. “Looking for something?” he asked as he rolled up the wires, “Or someone?”

Mark’s head snapped back to him, completely disregarding his comment, “Is it safe to drive?”

“Yeah, but if you do have problems you can just call me,” Jaebum responded closing the hood. “(Y/N) isn’t here today by the way. She had some stuff to take care of.”

“I wasn’t looking for her,” Mark lied straight through his teeth. “Give me my goddamn keys.”

 

 

 

You left the store just in time to spot a familiar blonde head bobbing down the sidewalk. Just as you were about to greet him when another girl beat you to it. She was very beautiful with long red hair and feminine physique. You couldn’t resist the small ‘wow’ to escape your lips. You almost thought that she was his girlfriend when she suddenly laced her fingers with Mark’s until he jerked away in anger. You couldn't hear him but you could tell he was yelling at her, face turning red with anger. The woman brushed off whatever comment he made, trying to tug his arm with a flirty pout. Mark yanked his arm back again and tried to storm off, but the girl kept on pestering him. After a while, you were starting to get annoyed yourself. Cleary he was uncomfortable, and you would feel bad if you didn’t do anything about it. If it were you in that position, you’d want someone to help you too.

“Mark!” You called out to him. He stopped in his tracks, peering over the crowd to find the source of his name and it wasn’t until you jumped in front of him that he noticed you. “Hey, stranger!” You greeted without really looking at him. The girl looked you up and down before frowning.

“Is this your girlfriend?” You gave her a friendly smile but she grimaced in response.

“Yes-”

“EX-girlfriend,” Mark butt in. “We’re not together.”

The girl pouted against tugging on his sleeve, “Were having a little argument is all.”

“ _No we’re not_ , we’re not together.  _We’re not friends._ ”

You could tell that he was about to blow up any minute. Quickly you hooked your arm around his, “Well that’s funny. How can you be his girlfriend if I’m his girlfriend?” This time you did look up to find his bewildered face. You tried to translate ‘play along’ the best you could with your eyes before returning your attention back to his ex. “I think you might have the wrong guy,” you said patting his hand. She didn’t say anything to you, only glaring up at Mark for an explanation. He unhooked his arm from around yours before lacing his fingers in your hand tightly. You feel his hands shaking as he clutched onto you for dear life. You could practically feel his desperation and anxiety.

“Don’t bother me anymore. This is your last warning,” he said quietly. It was as if he shot her gun. The girl stumbled back in disbelief with tear pricking her eyes. You felt bad, but you felt worse for Mark. He didn’t give you enough time to sympathize for her because he yanked you down the sidewalk until she was nowhere in sight.

“Bad breakup?”

Mark shook his head, with his eyes still pointed forward. “I don’t want to talk about it.” Anger was coming off of him in waves, passerbyers were just jumping to get out of your way.

“Let’s stop here real quick,” you held up your joined hands with a playful look. “Come on boyfriend.” Before he could rip his hands from yours, you pulled him into an ice cream shop and started overdramatically pointing at ice cream flavors through the glass. Your plan to break his brooding facade worked. “Look at the rainbow one! What does rainbow even taste like?” You gasped overenthusiastically.

“...Like a headache,” he mumbled under his breath with a small smile.

“I know what you’ll like, go sit. Go, go,” you pointed at a table near the window while you ordered. Soon you came back with two cups.

“Is this the part where I black out and you steal my money?”

“Glad to see you have a sense of humor, I was afraid you were the angry type,” you joked back. “Relax, it’s a rocky road.” Mark pulled a pout, stabbing his ice cream with his spoon. “So what are you doing out and about?”

“Going to work, what about you? I thought you had important things to do,” he said gesturing to your shopping bag.

You didn’t question how he knew you were out to day, instead you lifted the side of your flowery red sundress, “I was on a date. Duh.”

Mark’s eyes fell back to his cup, scraping the sides with his spoon. “I was joking dummy. I was attending a friends engagement party. I went shopping to get her a gift before her bachelorette party.”

Finally, he spooned a scoop of ice cream in his mouth, eyes trained on the neckline of your dress. “Well, you look nice then.”

“So you work in the area? I’ve never seen you around.”

“Yeah, I work at the tattoo parlor down the street,” he pointed his thumb behind him. You raised your eyebrows as you searched his arms. Before you could react, you tugged his sleeve up to his forearm, revealing ink etched into his fine skin.

“Wow!” You held his wrist in your hand as you traced your fingers along the lines, “That’s so cool!”

Mark pulled his arm back, tugging his sleeve back down with an awkward chuckle, “That’s a first. Usually, girls find them ugly.”

“Why would they look ugly? I’ve always wanted one.”

“I’ll give you one for free if you let me choose the design,” he joked.

A sly smile spread on your face, “Okay. Let’s go.” You said as you got your things together.

“W-wait, are you serious?” Mark stuttered nervously.

“Sure, I can’t pass up an opportunity like that...Unless you're scared?”

“Why would I be scared? You’re the one that’s going to be jabbed with a needle,” he sassed back. “But if you're really up for it I’ll do it. I don’t want to hear you whining if it hurts.”

“Ha, I don’t whine. I complain. Let’s go.”

“I thought Jaebum said you were a computer nerd. How did you end up doing tattoos?” You asked as you settled into the black leather seat. The parlor was mostly empty besides one other employee sitting in a chair with a magazine and headphones. Mark opened a tool drawer, “I’ve always been doing this. But in high school, I was really good in my programming elective so I figured why not. It gives my parents a sense of ease knowing I can land a stable job if I need to.”

“Fair enough,” you played with the edge of your red dress. “So what design are you going to give me?”

“Something I’ve been working on, I was going to do it on myself but...now I have a guinea pig.” He pulled out a drawing and laid out on your lap. A big sunflower.

“Really? This is so pretty, why a sunflower?”

“My grandma used to have a lot of sunflowers in her garden, I used to help her tend to them when I was little. It makes me feel…” He stopped when his eyes met yours and went back to fiddling with his tools.

“How does it make you feel?” You urged him to continue his talking but he clamped up. His jaw clenched tight enough for you see the line of it flexed up. You tried to catch his eyes again but he did an awfully good job of pretending you didn’t exist. “I think I know exactly where I want it,” you grinned mischievously. You stuck your leg up until your leg was blocking his eyeline. His eyes popped in surprise, gazing up to your toes wiggling in his face. When he finally gave in and looked at you, you tapped on the top of your thigh. “Wouldn’t it be cool here?”

It wasn’t anything strange. Mark had tattooed many people in the same location, the only difference is that it was you asking. Maybe it was because it was a stranger every time, even though you were also as good as a stranger to him still.

“Are you sure?” Mark picked up the stencil and held it over your thigh, it was a perfect fit.

You nodded, “Yup. It will look cool during the summer!”

He resisted the temptation to imagine you running around on the beach with his art on your skin. “Can I see your tattoos?” The question caught him off guard, leaving him blinking at you for a few seconds.

“I uh- I have a lot,” he moved his sleeve up a little bit to show a few tendrils of ink before pulling it back down just as quick. “They’re not really that great-”

Not letting him hesitate a moment longer, you pulled up his shirt arm to his elbow to reveal the twisting design that stopped at his wrist. “Wow! Do you have a sleeve?”

“Uh- yeah,” he stuttered.

“Can I see it? Can you take off your sweatshirt? Please, please, pretty please?” You clamped your hands together to beg with your lip popped out.

“Fine, Fine,” he groaned giving you one last glare.

Mark slowly pulled his sweatshirt off revealing his grey tank top underneath. To your surprise, almost all his skin was taken up by ink. Up and down his arms, across his chest, and possibly in even more places you couldn’t see. You would have never guessed from the clothes he normally wore that covered everything besides his hands and collarbone. He seemed uncomfortable under your watch, tapping his finger against his drawers.

“Woah, you do have a lot,” you whispered. You involuntarily lifted up his hand so you could look closer at the details along his skin. “How long did it take you to get all of these?”

“A few years, I started getting them when I turned 18. I haven’t stopped since.”

“I for one find your tattoos amazing. I hope one day you’ll tell me the story for each one, I’m sure you have a lot to say.”

“Right, well. Let’s just worry about your tattoo for now.” He pulled a pair of blue plastic gloves on and readied his pen. You flinched when he got the space of skin ready, slightly regretting your bold placement in an attempt to mess with him. If the two of you could communicate through your thoughts, you’d know that the two of you were on the same page. Mark, though, was growing in interest at the opportunity. He positioned himself unbearably close to you, mostly on purpose. He could very well work at a respectable distance and do just as fine, but your one-sided teasing was getting annoying and it was by the time he fought back.

You could barely see over his shoulder, only feel as he placed his hands around your leg, adjusting its placement so he could work easier. You struggled to keep your breath and heart rate leveled since he was so close and could hear any disturbances. Instead, you tried to play it off like nothing was wrong.

Mark moved the skirt of your dress further up until he could see the lacy hem of your underwear against your hip. “This is going to hurt, are you sure this is what you want?” He double checked as he hovered the pen over your skin.

“I’ve slammed and locked a car door on my fingers for and hour, I think I can handle a little needle- Ow!” He started piercing your soft flesh until a small trail of black followed. You chewed your bottom lip to suppress another yelp.

“Doing good?” He asked with a sense of evil joking in his tone.

“Perfect,” you responded through a strained breath. You were starting to catch on to what he was doing now, messing with you. You let your chin rest on his shoulder to see his work, Mark momentarily pausing as you did so. For about thirty minutes that’s what you did. You didn’t make any more efforts to distract him after that so you wouldn’t mess him up. Though your winces and sighs were distracting enough for him. Eventually, the tattoo was done and he no longer had no excuse to rub his gloved hands over your skin repeatedly.

“Make sure you follow these instructions otherwise you’ll get an infection,” he handed you a sheet of paper after he finished dressing your wound. You were enthralled by your new feature, lips parted as you gazed down on it. This permanent decision that you made on a whim, in the end, was one of the best ideas you’ve ever had.

“I love it,” your eyes lit up. “Thank you so much!”

Mark took off his gloves unable to suppress his own small smile.

 

 

 

He was starting to believe you were never on campus.

He hardly ever saw you and when he thought to swing by the engineering building you were always long gone. But that didn’t stop him from having visions of seeing you wherever he went. Every once in a while he’d see a girl with hair too similar to yours, or another with a giggle just as precious. Whenever he saw a car or heard the blare of a horn he expected you to be just nearby. It was getting to the point to where even he is own friends were anticipating him seeing you again.

“I saw her at the coffee place the other day,” Jackson racked his brain wiping the blade of his sabre. “You know the one that just opened near that movie theatre. Actually, I heard from a friends girlfriend that she lives in the area.”

“I’m not gonna stalk her Jackson,” Mark rolled his eyes as he ripped the borrowed mask off his head and the flimsy vest he was forced to wear. “And I’m not looking for her,” he pointed the end of his own- well Jackson’s- saber at his chest. “I’m just saying that I hardly see her around. It’s weird y’know, that she goes to my school but I’ve never seen her once.” He fell back on the bench wiping the sweat from his damp blonde hair while Jackson rolled his eyes.

“Don’t try and play dumb, I know you have a crush on her you idiot,” Jackson replied. “It’s time you get back into the game, what with that uh disaster ex-girlfriend Cherry-” Mark cut him off by jumping up to jab him in the chest with the sabre but Jackson was too fast. He pulled his sword straight from the cloth in his hand and stopped Mark a hair in time just before the point reached him. Mark frowned looking down at the end of Jackson sword stuck against his collarbone, meeting Jackson’s smirk of success. “Don’t try to argue with me, I always win.”

“Find someone else to help you spar,” Mark grumbled tossing the sword up for him to catch. “I can never win this stupid game.” Jackson caught it by the blade and stuck it in his bag, jogging to catch up with Mark before he could storm out of the gym.

“Look, all I’m saying is that she’s a nice girl and would be a nice change of pace from your, ehm,  _previous partner_ ,” Jackson gripped his shoulders before he could walk past him. “She’s good for you. Don’t let this one slip away, it’d be a shame. You really light up when you talk about her.” Mark huffed but gave a silent nod before leaving Jackson on his own in the gym. After washing up and collecting his things from the locker room, he made his way to his car. Sitting for a while and staring forward blankly. Too perfectly, however, his phone rang with the words Do Not Answer glowed on the screen. He already knew all too well who the person on the other side was, and the thought brought dread to his stomach. Mark stared at the screen until it stopped ringing only for it to go off again, and again, and again. The only attractive option at the moment was jumping right back out of his car and locking his phone inside, finding solace in a nearby convenience store. He dragged his feet up and down the aisle looking at the brightly colored packaging and fiddling with what cash he had in his pockets. The jingle of the shop door did little to rip him from his pondering. That is, the only thing that could distract from thinking about you is...well.. _.you_.

You’re humming cracked his concentration as your voice traveled just two aisles down. Again he thought it was just another mistake on his part, but just in case, he followed you to check. He wasn’t shocked, happy, or disappointed to see you walking around with a pep in your step and earbuds playing upbeat music to block out the world.

Just strangely neutral.

Calm.

Lately calm has been all he’s been hoping for. His breakup with Cherry was less than calming.

Mark followed after you for as long as you didn’t notice him. Realizing that you probably never would, he concluded that it was dangerous and that you should not be doing this at night. But as long as he was watching, he let you obliviously pick out your snacks and enjoy your music from a safe distance. It wasn’t until you made it to the counter that he finally approached you. Placing his two six packs down next to your several bags of junk food.

“Mark!” You jumped pulling out your earbuds.

His eyes trailed down to your shorts, pointing down at your healing tattoo, “How is your leg doing?”

“Good, I haven’t been able to wear pants though. It gets too itchy but I don’t mind.”

Why else would you willingly stand in the freezing rain?

“What are you doing out so late?” You watched the cashier scan your items, “I was in the area. I kind of lost track of time. To be honest, I don’t know what I’m doing…” You trailed off. There was something different about you today. Sure you were still upbeat, but there was something unauthentic about you today. And Mark was the king of recognizing inauthentic behavior. Your eyes looked heavy, and there was a looming aura of tiredness surrounding you that was starting to make even him sleepy. When the cashier reported the price, Mark pulled out his cash before you, “I got it.” You didn’t get a chance to protest, he already handed over the money and helped put everything in plastic bags. He didn’t let you grab anything and took them all into his hands, “Let’s go.”

You followed after him not saying much, for once. You didn’t have anything to say. No jokes, no drive to make your walk to a mystery location any lighter. He didn’t push you to talk either, he could play the silent game forever. Mark was the reigning champion of the silent game- at least that’s what Jinyoung would say.

The two of you arrived at the location he led you too. A near empty park full of lamps and dark grass under the moonlight. It was open and secluded at the same time. Mark dropped the bags on the ground and collapsed on the soft grass, staring up at the moon and stars. You followed suit, laying just beside him and sucking in a deep breath. The two of you just laid there in silence listening to the crickets chirped before Mark finally worked up the courage to speak up.

“I always come here when things suck. So I come here a lot.”

You couldn’t repress your snort, quickly trying to silence yourself before checking to see if he noticed but he was pressing his lips together to hold back a smile. You let an ugly laugh out, holding your sides. The first genuine laugh you had all day.

“I hear it helps to talk about your problems so you can go off if you want,” he suggested, “I won’t judge.”

“I’d rather hear about your problems,” you replied. “Mine are just depressing.”

“Well, my ex is a toxic asshole and now she won’t leave me alone.”  
You turned to look at him again but he kept his eyes trained forward, “Really, why is she still bothering you?”

“I made a poor decision, a drunken decision mind you. I ended up letting her back in my life after the first time we broke off, and after suffering through another half-assed relationship with her again she’s back on my case. I just want to move past it already but she’s not gonna let go after she saw how easy it was to wear me down the first time.”

“I think you need a restraining order,” You chuckled.

“Maybe. Your turn,” he reached for a plastic bag and tossed you a bag of chips and pulled out a green glass bottle from his own bag. He didn’t open it right away, he just let it rest in his hand waiting for you to talk.

“Today is the anniversary of my brother’s death.”

“Okay, you win,” Mark peeled back the metal cap of his beer bottle and sat up to take a drink, “Continue.”

“He died when I was just about to graduate high school, he was the one that got me hooked on cars so like, every time I think about cars I think about him, which in turn makes me sad. But it’s whatever you know. It just sucks more today than any day.” You stayed laying down, dropping chips into your mouth. “But that’s about it.”

“You know you don’t have to be happy all the time right? I don’t understand how you do it.”

“I’d rather be happy than sad, there’s too much to be happy about to let sadness overtake it y’know?”

“I can’t believe Jackson was right,” Mark scoffed taking another drink from his bottle.

“What was he right about?” You sat up, offering your bag of chips to him. His didn’t decline, but he didn’t answer the question. “Come on, I thought we were having a moment.” You stared at the bottle in his hand as he downed the rest of it like it was nothing and grabbing another one. When he got the first sip, you took it from his hand and chugged it down to catch up. Mark could still feel himself resisting his words, so he grabbed another one and another one until you were swaying and his confidence was at the forefront.

“You’re so so good,” he slurred with his half-empty bottled against his chin. “So perfect.”

You scoffed using his shoulder to keep yourself from falling face first in his lap.

“Perfect? How am I perfect?”

“Perfect to me,” he grinned. You watched as he downed the last bottle, his Adam's apple bobbing as he gulped down the intoxicating liquid. He tossed the empty bottle in the bag where the rest of the finished drinks and chips rested. His skin seemed to glow under the stars, and his eyelashes seemed so long from this close. His pressed his lips together when he noticed you examining his face, nervously anticipating what words that would come from your parted pink mouth next. Your hands found their way to his cheek. You could feel the slight stubble tickling the pads of your fingers, and your thumbs rubbed against his cheekbones.

Mark’s knuckles were starting to turn white from clutching the grass so hard, nearly ripping the roots out when you closed the space to lay a quick kiss on his chin. His hands found their way to your hips, urging you closer until sitting comfortably on his lap. This time you were able to catch him by his lips, pecking them each time he let you until he kept you still by holding the back of your neck and your chin with the other. His heart was starting to run laps in his chest, and the gentle way you hugged your arms around his neck to toy with his hair made him blush like a schoolboy. He had to stop himself because you were technically still in a public place. Empty, but very public. You whined a little when he pulled away, tugging at the collar of his shirt in protest. “I should get you home,” he said quietly.

Your nose bumped his slightly and a giggle fanned on his chin, “You can’t drive.” You managed to sneak another kiss, slightly missing and smooching the corner of his mouth instead. “You don’t even know where I live.”

Mark lulled his head to the side to try and think but his mind was muddy and having you so close was making it hard to focus. “Can’t you just tell me your address. I can get you a cab-”

“No, I don’t remember!” You nagged hugging him tighter. “I don’t want to be alone…” The sound of you sniffling was enough to send a sober shock to his brain. “Can’t I just be with you?” you muttered into his neck. He could feel hot tears rolling onto his neck, his first instinct was to rub your back sympathetically but that only made the crying worse.

“Here, come here,” he moved his face to look at your streaked face. Your flushed face was like a water fountain that couldn’t be turned off. Tears flowed down your cheeks and dripped off your chin repeatedly. It hurt to see you in so much pain. “Okay. Come on, let’s go,” he whispered, fruitlessly attempting to stop the stream with his thumb.

“Mmm-kay,” you sniffled. He helped you stand and picked up the trash the two of you made, dumping it in a nearby trash can before leading you out of the park. The only reason why he stopped at his car was to get more money for the cab- not even bothering to glance at his phone before shutting and locking the door again. The cab ride was quiet besides the sound of you sniffling every once in a while and quickly wiping away your tears. Liquid confidence was still hot in his blood, enough for him to squeeze your hand to comfort you.

His apartment was dark when you entered and surprisingly busy. You imagined that Mark would be someone who’d have little possessions, but there was something to look at in every corner. There books upon books in shelves, movies, videogames- a shit ton of video games, CD’s and records along the walls. At least two guitars of different designs sat in the corner next to an amplifier. His kitchen was somewhat a mess but he closed the door before you could really see anything. “Sorry, I haven’t really cleaned up,” he said as he rushed to pick up trash on the living room coffee table.

“Where’s your room?”

Mark pointed his thumb to a door down the hall, nearly stumbling over his feet when you followed his finger. “(Y/N)- wait!” Without another thought, you strolled right into his room, kicked off your shoes and crawled under the covers of his bed. Mark stood in the doorway staring at the new lump under the dark grey covers, half with a smile, half with a terrified frown. Suddenly you popped up and jumped off the bed to grab his arm and lead him back on the mattress. “What are you doing?” He asked when you pushed him down and fixed the covers over the both of you.

“I’m tired,” you responded half-slurred. It wasn’t until you wrapped your arm around his waist and laid your head on his chest that he started to panic.

“I- I can take the couch,” he stuttered. No matter how much he tried, he couldn’t get out of your iron grip. “(Y/N)?” Somehow, you knocked out the second you laid your head on his chest. You were snuggled up against him and already knocked out from intoxication. He couldn’t help but laugh at how silly you were, somehow you were even sillier when you were drunk. Deciding to call it quits, he relaxed into his bed and let his arm wrap comfortably around your shoulders and drifted off to sleep.

 

 

 

Your eyes shot open when you heard the car door open beside you. Immediately you ripped off your headset, and straightened up in the seat, staring in the passenger's seat with your mouth clamped shut. Mark filled in space beside you, sitting comfortably in the white leather seat, and shutting the door.  _“Hi.”_

_“...Hey,”_ you narrowed your eyes. You couldn’t stay stoic for long, a humorous smirk tugged at the corner of your mouth.

“Have a nice nap?” He asked rolling his car keys in his hands.

“I wasn’t asleep,” you laughed dryly, “I was just closing my eyes.”

“I see,” Mark leaned back in the seat staring at the shop walls through the windows, “Is this your car?”

“Well, technically yes. It uhm- it’s actually my brother's car.” You flipped your hand over in over in your hand. Already anticipating the string of questions to come after. But Mark only gave you a look that urged you to continue. “It’s about to get depressing, brace yourself for this one,” you warned.

Mark looked at you, then around the car then grabbed the handlebar above the passenger door, “Braced.”

“This car is the car my brother died in,” you paused. He let his hand fall from the bar, massaging his chin in thought, “That’s...awful actually. What happened?”

“He got in a wreck,” you continued as you drummed your fingers on the steering wheel. “Completely destroyed. This is his car, his baby. And it was left to me. I fixed it up over the years and now today I fixed the very last part.” You flicked the little keychain that hung from the rearview mirror, “Just as he would have wanted it.” The pair of dice with his initials dangled for a minute like a pendulum.

“Special car.”

“ _Very special_ ,” you chortled. “ _Priceless_.”

“Well, I don’t know shit about cars. But I think you did a fantastic job. I’m sure he would be proud of you,” he nudged your shoulder. You blushed, scratching the back of your neck to give you an excuse to look away. “It’s beautiful.” It was white, pure vanilla white. With long black stripes running along the sides. A 1966 Shelby Mustang that your brother had spent a lifetime amount of saving to buy from the junkyard. You never thought that you would be the one to finish his dream car, you only wish he could be here to see it. Better yet, you wish he was here to finish it.

“What are you doing here anyway?” You teased.

“Can you take a look at my car? I think there’s something wrong with it.”

“Lies, when I charged your battery I did a checkup. Your car should be running smoother than ever,” you snickered.

Mark shrugged innocently, “Maybe you missed something?”

Your jaw dropped, “How. Dare you.”

“Yikes, how embarrassing for you,” he teased more. “Better go see what you did wrong.”

You shoved him and hopped out of the car and marched over to his that was parked just outside the garage. Mark followed you out with his hands snug in his pockets as he watched you circle the vehicle, before opening the hood. Your hands ghosted over the parts before shutting it back up within moments of examination. You shot him a look to which he shrugged. Finally you opened the front door to start the car, but of course, you couldn’t hear anything wrong.

“You’re such a liar!” you shouted over the engine.

“I just needed an excuse to come see you,” Mark replied leaning against the frame of the door. “How else am I supposed to get your attention?”

You rolled your eyes when you saw something blinking in under the dashboard. A small contraption that you nearly missed was plugged underneath the steering wheel.  You reached under and pulled it out, alarmed at what you found, “Uh Mark, why do you have a tracking device in here?”

“What?” He plucked from your hand and turned it over in his hand, “I never put this in here.”

“Usually parents put these in their kid's cars to monitor where they drive. Once you unplug them it sends an alert to them that they’ve removed the device. Who would have put that in here?”

Mark’s jaw locked, and anger radiated off of him in waves. You’ve never seen a man look so pissed in your life, you almost wanted to run away. “Cherry.”

You took the device from his hand before he could crush it into smithereens, “Follow me.”

You typed in the code on the side of the device in your computer until a receipt appeared on the screen. “It says it was plugged in a year ago, when did you two break up?”

“A few months ago. She’s been tracking me this whole time huh?”

“Don’t worry, she won’t be able to anymore.  She should have gotten a report that it was removed at this location. We deal with these things all the time so it’s not really out of the ordinary.” You tried to comfort him, but the waves of anger coming off him were causing you to hold back. “Mark?” His attention shifted from the computer screen to you with just as much intensity. “Do you want to talk about it?” His eyebrows furrowed down and you were afraid he was going to bite your head off. “I mean if you want to. It’s only fair, you listened to my problems and dealt with my drunken sadness...among...other..things.”

“Can I see that?” he already plucked the tracker from your computer and you could see a plan buzzing in his head.

“Wait!” You exclaimed before he could disappear. Quickly you grabbed a sharpie and scribbled your phone number down on a piece of paper. “If you change your mind call me, or if you have car troubles you can call me too.” You handed him the bright pink sticky note before he could disappear, “Get home safe okay?”

He gave you a curt nod before marching back out to his car.

 

 

 

You couldn’t help but feel worry pooling in your stomach.  

Mark fumbled with his keys as he carried his guitar case. When he opened the door, the lights were on.

“Mark!” Cherry dashed through the living room with open arms, hugging and kissing him on the cheek like a honeymoon lover. Mark stood like a statue, still processing what was happening. “I’ve been waiting for you to get home, here let me help you-”

“How did you get into my apartment?” He asked lamely pulling the case back. 

Cherry smoothed back her hair behind her ear, feigning an innocent expression, “The landlord let me in, he knows that were together remember?” He was far too tired to be angry, he simply set down the case against the wall and stood there for a minute to collect his thoughts. Cherry inches further, hugging him from behind with a sweet voice, “I missed you. I just want to spend the night with you baby.” He shrugged her off, shifting his keys in his hand. “Mark?”

Wordlessly, he paced back to the front door and shut the door behind him.

He didn’t let the emotions sink in until he was back in his truck in the parking lot. “Fuck!” He cursed under his breath and hit the horn a few times. In the end, he pulled back on the road to the auto shop to get Jaebum’s key. He’s stayed there several times when he used to couch surf, and Jaebum always broke into Mark’s apartment when he got in arguments with his girlfriend.

“Jaebum!” He called out when he got through the shop door. There was no response but he heard the sound of someone rummaging through tools in the back. When he went out to check, he found you putting away a box of supplies on a shelf with your headphones on. You didn’t notice him watching you, you were far to busy dancing along to your loud music blaring in your earbuds. Even though he was bitter, he couldn’t help but smile at the sight. Slowly he snuck up behind you and plucked one from your ear. You jumped in surprise nearly dropping the small tool kit in your hands, “Mark!” You squeaked.

“Where’s Jaebum?” He asked, resting his hands on your shoulders.

“He went home early. I’m just about to close up actually. Why what’s wrong?”

Mark sighed to himself, leaning against the doorway of the dimly lit supply closet. “I was gonna ask him if I can crash at his place. But if he’s gone home early then he’s probably with his girl.”

“Oh, why?”

Mark grimaced, “Cherry broke into my place and I don’t feel like going through the hassle of kicking her out.” You turned your full attention to him now, arms crossed in concern.

“She broke in? You should have called the police!”

Mark slumped further in the corner with his hands buried deep in his pockets. You frowned at him before shaking your head with a smile, “You can stay at my place.”

“What? No, it’s fine. I’ll just try and call one of the guys-”

“It’s fine, your already here. Let me just put this last box away and we can go.”

“But-”

“It wasn’t an offer, it was a demand,” you cut him off with a joking smile. “Except my kind gesture or else.” Mark rolled his eyes, gazing off back to the front doors to hide the smile sprawling across his face. “Don’t you snap your eyes at me young man,” you poked the middle of his back making him jolt.

“I didn’t,” he lied not being able to hide the humor in his voice. “I thought I saw something outside.”

“I’m sure. Go sit in the waiting room, I’ll be right out.”

After a few minutes of grueling anticipation, you came out from the back with a lanyard of keys in your hands, “Whose car are we driving in?”

“I bet I’m a better driver than you,” Mark replied snarkily as he pulled the drawstrings of his hood around his head.

“Bold of you to say that on someone who works on them for a living,” you snickered. “Screw you, I’m driving.”

“Good, cause I really didn’t want to.” You fell right into his trap and all you could do was gape down at him as he smiled smugly. The car ride was silent but peaceful. Though he wouldn’t mind the conversation, he was too busy taking in every street sign you passed up, noting each twist and turn to your apartment- for future reference of course.

He liked the way you drummed on the wheel of your car, slightly swaying to the upbeat music that came from your stereo.

He liked the way the street light illuminated her cheeks, and the dark swallowing them back up over and over again. And when you noticed him staring, you flashed him a smile that seemed to glow in the dark. But you didn’t divert his attention with witty conversation, you just let him enjoy the view.

He liked the way that you knew you were captivating.

“I hope you’re not allergic to dogs,” your keys jingled as you unlocked your door.

“Nah, I used to have a dog with Youngjae when we were still roommates,” he replied, “But he mostly takes care of her now.”

The second you opened the door, a small black dog came running out the door barking and darting between your legs. When it noticed the stranger beside her, the puppy jumped all over Mark’s legs, wagging his tail and panting in excitement. “Calm down Puka!” You knelt down and scooped him up, “Sorry, he’s a horrible guard dog. Always wants to play with strangers.”

“He’s cute,” Mark scratched behind his ears, “He kind of looks like you.” You shot him a look before leading him into your dimly lit apartment. You flipped on the lights and let Puka run into the living room. Unlike his place, yours was nice and neat. Everything put away on shelves, and not a piece of trash in sight. To be fair, you had to keep it clean if you had a dog. It even smelled like you, which to Mark was a dream come true.

“I’m gonna go change out of my clothes real quick, I’ll be right back!” While you were gone in your room, Mark wandered around your living room to look at what books you had on your shelves, and board games that were placed perfectly inside.

“I have friends over a lot,” You said when you re-entered. You were wearing grey sweatpants now and a big college sweatshirt. Even though you were drowning in your clothes, his heart still skipped a beat. “I swear it’s more fun when there’s ten of us.”

“What about this one,” he pulled out a game of connect four. Traditionally, a two-person game. But when you drunk stupid, it becomes a six-person game where each team is pitted against each other without mercy. “I wanna play this.”

The two of you set up the game on the coffee table with drinks and snacks surrounding it. “So you wanna tell me what’s going on with your ex?” You asked.

“Pshh, no,” Mark cracked open the can of beer and took a drink.

“How about for every time I win you have to answer a question? It would make this game more interesting.”

“And what if I win?” Mark claimed the red checkers, while you claimed the black ones.

You bit your lips before giving him a teasing look, “I’ll give you a kiss.”

“I feel like I’d be ripping you off,” he chuckled. “But I think I’ll take that challenge. You can’t take it back now.”

“I guess I’ll just have to beat you then yeah?”  You dropped the first chip in the middle of the rack. Mark narrowed his eyes at you, taking one of his one chip and dropping it in after yours. The dramatic process continued until you got four in a row, Mark groaned under his breath as you perked up in excitement. “Why are you avoiding your girl problems?”

“I’m not ignoring them, trust me I’m trying my best here. She’ll find someone else to latch onto eventually,” he replied. “I’m sure you’ve had your fair share of bad breakups.”

“Actually, I don’t date that much. You’d be surprised to know that guys aren’t that into greasers.”

“You’re kidding right?”

You shrugged, “It’s partially my own fault. I could easily put on a dress and wear makeup, but it’s not very practical in the shop. I can’t be pretty all the time.”

“You are pretty all the time,” he unlatched the safety letting all the chips fall and started picking his out, “You’re perfect the way you are. I think the men you’ve been hanging around with just have bad taste.”

You collected the pieces from the bottom of the rack into your hands, “And you must have extraordinary taste women huh?”

“When it comes to you, yes.”

Your cheeks brightened up when you heard him say that, dropping the first piece back into the rack. “Me?”

“I’m not gonna deny that I have feelings for you, but if you don’t feel the same way I understand,” he dropped a red piece in, successfully blocking your path.

“I never said I didn’t, I mean, I wouldn’t kiss someone I didn’t like. But you’re still dealing with this past relationship of yours and I’d hate to make you more confused than you already are.”

“You confused me the second I met you. So it’s already too late for that.” He caught you off guard, blocking you off again and getting four red checkers in a row. Your jaw dropped when you stared at your defeat, and shut it back up again. “I win.”

“So you have,” you smiled back up at him.

“You don’t actually have to kiss me,” he said, “I’ll answer another question if you want.”

“Nope, a promise is a promise,” you got to your knees and scooted over to the other side of the table. Mark prepared for you to plop down in his crisscrossed lap.  _“Hi,”_ you greeted once you were sitting comfortably with your legs wrapped around his hips.

_“Hey,”_  he chuckled.

You pushed his hair back exposing his forehead, “You’re very beautiful you know that?” You forked his fingers between his bleached locked, massaging his cheekbones with your thumbs as you admired his features up close and sober. His eyes seemed to glitter as he watched you in anticipation raising his chin to compel you forward. First, you pressed your lips against his forehead, making him grin. Then you pecked his eyebrows, the bridge of his nose, his cheeks, his jaw, everywhere but his lips where he wanted you the most. He tugged on the edge of your sweatshirt, lolling his head back against the couch when his frustration grew too much. “Okay, Okay,” you smiled against his jaw and positioned his mouth in front of yours. Slowly you moved your lips his, painstakingly gentle. Whenever he pressed forward, you would pull back again with a devious smile. Eventually, he got fed up and pulled you hard against his body and holding your head still as he took the reins right from your fingertips. You flinched when he pushed past your lips and explored every bit of your mouth and stealing your breath. He wouldn’t even break away when you gasped for air, tugging on your bottom lip with his teeth and delving right back in. Your hands trailed to his chest, grasping onto the fabric of his sweatshirt when you felt his hands dip under your own sweatshirt and trail up your sides. His hands were cold against your hot skin, and goosebump ripped through your spine when they shot up, grasping for bra hooks that weren’t there.

“You’re making it harder for me to stop.,” he breathed against your pink lips.

“I don’t want you to stop.” Mark didn’t waste another second lifting his sweatshirt over his head and you didn’t waste time either to smooth your calloused hands over his tattooed chest. Following all the little lines and details in amazement. You almost forgot that he even had tattoos, and if you could you’d spend this time to explore every inch of them you would. But he was already rolling your sweatshirt over your chest and pulling it over your head. You crossed your arms over your chest immediately out of shyness. “Don’t be shy,” he cooed tugging on your forearms. You squeaked hugging yourself tighter. Mark chuckled, scooping you up in his arms and dropping you on the couch and positioning himself between your legs. “You’re so cute,” he commented as he squeezed your soft sides slightly. “I’ll just wait,” Mark hovered over you with his one hand gripping the armrest and the other trailing down to your hip. When a small giggle escaped your lips, he continued to tickle you until you gave in and tried to move his hands away. Right when you opened up, he lifted your arms up over your head and pressed them against the armrest.

“Mark!” He craned his head into the crook over your neck and began to trail his soft lips down into the valley of your breasts. “Yeah?” he mumbled against you, his large hands smoothed over your chest to massage them with a teasing smile. You squirmed under him pulling his face closer so you could kiss him some more. This time he played the same trick you had before, pulling away before you were ready and hovering just centimeters away. “Stop that,” you snapped.

“You want me to stop?” he tucked a strand of hair behind your ears. “We can stop.”

“No,” you wrapped your arms around his neck, grazing his face with your rough finger touch. Mark melted under your tender touch and the feeling of being pressed up against your bare skin made him only want to crave more. His fingers teetered with your waistband lightly, waiting for you to tell him that he was going too far. Those words never came. Those pants came off as soon as it was clear that this is what you wanted and dropped them on the ground. He almost forgot to admire the tattoo on your thigh, his pride oversaturating with the thought that he was so permanently inked on your body. Unlike his own skin that had such little space left, your body was like a fresh new sketchbook just waiting to be marked up. Sweat formed between the two of you as he pressed inside of you. Mark had never been the type to hold back or the type to be a gentle lover. But you were the first to drag that part of him to the forefront. Every movement was rewarded with a soft moan and the arousing sight of your face scrunched up in pleasure. But even then you kept your fingers running through his hair and kissing lips slowly. He wondered if he had been too addicted to excitement, and that is what made this one instance so wondrously jarring too him. He was still excited, that was a given, but not from adrenaline and manic lust. But from the sensuality and tenderness of your kisses, like an old lover who still took every tedious detail into generous consideration. It was unlike any love he’s felt before. He was practically soaking in the attention, drinking up every way you spoiled him with affection. Even after you shuddered out every last bit of your high that he could pull from you, he couldn’t keep his lips off your trembling body all night.

“These instructions are in Swedish,” Mark grumbled when he finally managed to fish out the paper pamphlet, “What the hell am  supposed to do with this?”

You carried in the last box and plucked the paper from his hand, flipping through the pages, and placed it back in his hands. “Oh.”

“What would you do without me?” You chirped kissing his cheek.

“Fail at building an Ikea shelf, that’s for sure.” You stared down at all the pieces splayed out around his feet. “It can’t be that hard. I mean I’ve built a shelf before, but this is a really big shelf.”

“Do you need help from your engineer girlfriend?” You teased.

“Absolutely not, I’m the man of this house. I can build your deck with my bare hands if I have to.”

Mark had certainly lightened up since the two of you started dating.

After that night, he finally worked up the courage to confront Cherry and reported her to the police for stalking him. That alone was enough to scare her off. And now you were moving in together, forever forgetting the apartment that was tainted with the memories of her and the terrible times he spent living there. You weren’t sure if it was your influence that caused him to open up, or if he was secretly an extrovert all along. But he was still his dorky self. Always slinking in the back of the room, or giving you pouty looks from the corner whenever he saw you talking to other guys, only to scoop you up in his arms the second he had you to himself again. With your excessive social behavior, he was the perfect foil that helped you relax and recharge. And though he was apprehensive at first, he eventually opened up to the idea not locking himself up after five minutes of being in public. After the two of you had officially graduated from college, he had the courage now to pursue music with your overwhelming support with his degree to fall back on if things went rough. And he would have never been able to think about following a passion of his had he never had the privilege of meeting you. Never would he have thought that breaking down in the middle of a thunderstorm would be such a blessing.

“I don’t think you can build a deck on an apartment babe,” you chuckled.

“For you, anything,” he winked before trying to figure out which screwdriver to use.

“Well, I want a shelf. Get to it nerd.”


End file.
